"Boss... Brother Shen..."
The image of Shen Zhao's resolute, unwavering gaze struck straight into Su Yunying's heart.
Faced with such a terrifying enemy, everyone else had chosen to retreat.
Only he had stepped forward without hesitation, facing fear head-on and vowing to rewrite the fate of the Nine Realms.
"That is my man... That is my army!"
Yu Xiyan was already sobbing uncontrollably. She had never imagined that the enemies Shen Zhao had faced in the Netherworld were this horrifying.
Yet her husband had still chosen to fight until the very end.
Looking at the tall figure standing beneath the blood-red sky, she felt as though she could barely breathe.
"Why... Why have you never told me about your past in the Netherworld?
We're husband and wife... Why wouldn't you share any of this with me?"
On the battlefield, the Netherworld's vanguard army of thirty thousand troops charged toward Huangquan Pass like a pack of ravenous wolves.
Leading them were:
Two Quasi-Emperors, Four Saint Realm cultivators, Nine Supreme Realm commanders.
They looked down upon the defenders as insignificant insects.
No formations.
No strategy.
No caution.
Their only objective was simple—
Crush everything that dared stand in the way of the Netherworld's grand conquest.
At the highest point overlooking Huangquan Pass, Shen Zhao stood with his arms folded across his chest, silently watching the enemy draw nearer.
Only after they entered the first defensive line did he casually wave his hand.
"Fire."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Countless arrows shot into the sky like a massive swarm of locusts, blotting out the heavens before crashing toward the charging army.
Seeing this, one of the Netherworld generals sneered.
"How childish."
"Do they actually think ordinary iron arrows can injure the Netherworld Army?"
"What a joke."
The Netherworld race possessed uniquely resilient bodies—half flesh, half soul.
Ordinary weapons couldn't inflict fatal damage.
Even if struck down, they would recover within moments.
As expected...
The rain of arrows knocked down rows upon rows of Netherworld soldiers.
Yet seconds later, every one of them climbed back to their feet and resumed charging.
Shen Zhao remained expressionless.
He simply allowed the archers to continue firing.
One volley.
Three volleys.
Eight.
Twelve.
Eighteen volleys in less than a minute.
The fifteen-stone longbows demanded tremendous strength to draw.
Fortunately, the Iron Flame Army underwent brutal daily training, and every soldier possessed cultivation.
Otherwise, no one could have sustained such rapid firing.
Hundreds of thousands of arrows covered the battlefield...
Yet not a single enemy appeared to have died.
The Netherworld tide was about to smash through the first line of defense.
Only then did a cold smile appear on Shen Zhao's lips.
"ROAR!"
Suddenly, several Netherworld soldiers at the very front turned crimson-eyed.
Without warning, they spun around and attacked their own comrades.
Soon...
More and more soldiers followed.
Madly biting.
Slaughtering.
Massacring their own allies.
The entire vanguard descended into utter chaos.
Everywhere, Netherworld warriors were tearing each other apart.
"What is happening?!"
"Something's wrong!"
"It's the Mandrake Flower Powder!"
"It specifically suppresses the Netherworld constitution!"
"They planned this from the beginning!"
Only then did the two Quasi-Emperors realize the truth.
The arrows hadn't been meant to kill.
Each carried a thin mist of Mandrake pollen.
Hidden beneath the blood-red moonlight, no one had noticed.
"Damn him!"
"What a sinister scheme!"
"That man must not be allowed to live!"
Their murderous eyes immediately locked onto Shen Zhao beneath the crimson battle flag.
"Kill the commander first!"
Without hesitation...
One Quasi-Emperor shot into the air toward Shen Zhao.
The other rushed directly into the Iron Flame Army.
Shen Zhao never moved.
He quietly watched the approaching Quasi-Emperor.
"So, insect..."
"You believe these petty tricks can stop the glory of the Netherworld?"
The Quasi-Emperor landed before him and sneered.
Shen Zhao slowly closed his eyes.
"...Insect?"
He smiled coldly.
"Who exactly... is the insect?"
"Wha—"
Before the Quasi-Emperor could finish speaking—
A glowing purple formation suddenly appeared beneath his feet.
His meridians froze.
His entire body became immobile.
"What is—"
Shen Zhao slowly opened his eyes.
"Seven Yin Arts..."
"Tengshe Manifestation."
Boom!
Four enormous chains burst from the formation, binding the Quasi-Emperor's limbs and suspending him in midair like a crucifix.
"You—"
"Die."
Shen Zhao clenched his fingers.
The chains tightened instantly.
RIP!
The Quasi-Emperor was torn apart into countless pieces.
Elsewhere...
The second Quasi-Emperor had already broken through the first defensive line.
With a single palm strike...
More than a hundred Iron Flame archers were blasted apart.
Limbs and blood littered the battlefield.
"Hahaha!"
"Insects dare oppose Heaven?"
"Today you shall all be annihilated forever!"
He laughed wildly.
Just as he prepared to continue forward—
Something grabbed his ankle.
He looked down.
A soldier...
Only his upper body remained.
His intestines dragged across the ground.
With his final remaining arm, he clutched the Quasi-Emperor's leg as tightly as he could.
The contempt in the dying soldier's eyes made even the mighty Quasi-Emperor's heart tremble.
"Let go."
Blood poured from the soldier's mouth.
He could no longer speak.
But his grip only tightened.
"Then die!"
A burst of true essence erupted.
The soldier instantly disintegrated into dust.
"Hmph."
The Quasi-Emperor snorted and continued forward.
Only to stop again.
Standing before him...
Was another soldier.
Both arms severed.
His face mangled beyond recognition.
"What do you want?"
The soldier roared,
"You beast!"
"If you've got the guts... come!"
"Seeking death!"
Another palm strike.
The second soldier was obliterated.
"Pathetic."
The Quasi-Emperor stepped onward once more.
Then...
An entire squad of Iron Flame soldiers appeared before him.
Each carried strange bamboo tubes strapped across their bodies.
"You all wish to die too?"
One soldier cursed loudly.
"Screw your ancestors!"
With a furious roar, they pulled the fuses on their explosive packs and charged.
"Insolence!"
The Quasi-Emperor struck out.
BOOM!!
An earth-shattering explosion erupted.
The compressed spirit-energy bombs instantly turned the entire squad into bloody mist.
But...
The Quasi-Emperor himself was blasted away.
When he landed...
Both arms.
Both legs.
Were gone.
"AAAAAAAH!!"
He screamed in unbearable agony.
How...
How could mere insects push him into such a miserable state?
"Kill!"
A tide of Iron Flame soldiers surrounded him.
Countless spears descended.
"N-No..."
"I am a—"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"KILL!!"
Thrust!
Thrust!
Thrust!
The only reply was the merciless sound of spearheads piercing flesh.
"No... you insects..."
"I..."
"AAAAAAAH!!"
His screams echoed across the battlefield.
The mighty Quasi-Emperor...
Was stabbed into minced flesh by the very mortals he had called insects.
"Broken Army Battalion!"
"MIGHT!"
"MIGHT!!"
"MIGHT!!!"
A young officer raised the severed head of the Quasi-Emperor high into the air.
The entire defensive line erupted in deafening cheers.
At that moment...
The Iron Flame Army had completely conquered their fear of the Netherworld.
They had become soldiers who no longer feared death.
Watching everything unfold, Shen Zhao nodded in satisfaction.
His objective...
Had been achieved.
After this battle...
The Iron Flame Army had transformed into true monsters of war.
An army that would never again fear sacrifice.
A crucial foundation for every campaign yet to come.
"Iron Flame Army..."
"Advance!"
At Bai Qi's command...
Ten thousand soldiers charged onto the battlefield in perfect formation.
Each wielded spirit weapons coated with Mandrake pollen.
They mercilessly harvested the lives of the already-chaotic Netherworld forces.
Battle of Huangquan Pass
Iron Flame Army losses: 3,000 soldiers.
Netherworld casualties:
30,000 elite vanguard troops annihilated 2 Quasi-Emperors 4 Saint Realm commanders 9 Supreme Realm officers
The Iron Flame Army had reclaimed the dignity of mortal soldiers.
But this victory also drew the full attention of the Netherworld's highest command.
Shen Zhao knew...
The war had not ended.
In truth...
It had only just begun.
"We won!"
"The Iron Flame Army is incredible!"
Su Yunying's tear-filled eyes shone brightly.
Witnessing the soldiers fight fearlessly unto death had shaken her to her very soul.
"My Iron Flame Army..."
"They are the pride of the Great Yin Dynasty."
Yu Xiyan's heart swelled with indescribable emotion.
"I will personally honor every one of them."
"The entire empire deserves to remember their sacrifice."
Su Yunying nodded firmly.
"You're right."
"An army like this..."
"And a commander like him..."
"They deserve the highest honor imaginable."
"...Mm."
Yu Xiyan softly replied before turning her eyes back toward the unfolding scene.
-----------------------
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